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Omitting the Inconveniently Telling Detail (Media gag alert)
Poynter Institute ^ | Aug. 6, 2004 | Geneva Overholser

Posted on 08/06/2004 12:24:46 PM PDT by cinnathepoet

I came back from vacation raring to gripe about how we in the press conveniently overlook significant details on these catchy little stories we go bonkers over.

Details like the roar of the crowd in the Des Moines ballroom where Howard Dean screamed his immortal Scream. Details like a full characterization of the journalist Teresa Heinz Kerry told to "shove it." Then, I discovered just how far behind the curve a blissful few days in the West Virginia mountains can leave you. See, for example, this and this.

The Truth behind Shove-it Gate

Krugman -- Triumph of the Trivial

Still, I want to add my two bits: When I Googled "Teresa Heinz Kerry" and "shove it," I saw twice as many references to the episode that do NOT mention Richard Mellon Scaife (who employs the journalist she told to "shove it") as references that do. This significant omission leaves the news consumer with the impression that the object of her remark was just another journalist -- albeit perhaps a conservative one –- as opposed to a journalist from a paper with a long and ugly history with Heinz Kerry and her family.

This omission makes it much easier to write pat little didn't-we-tell-you-she-was-strange headlines such as "Teresa Heinz Kerry Calls for More Civil Tone in Politics, Then Tells Reporter to 'Shove It'" or "Show and Tell: Teresa Heinz Kerry's 'Shove It' Outburst Is the Latest in String of Outspoken Behavior."

It's also worth noting that these handy little omissions cross party lines. When I Googled "Schwarzenegger" and "girlie girls," I found almost twice as many references to the remark that did NOT mention the phrase's "Saturday Night Live" origins compared to those that did cite "SNL."


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: details; journalism; kerry; media; omit; shoveit; teresaheinz
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I can only conclude that the left is better at screaming at media outlets. This improve-your-journalism institute is feeling guilty because they should have omitted the "shove it" story. The fact that the reporter was conservative, or his employer was conservative, was enough to keep this story buried. Maybe conservative screams should be louder, I don't know. Would it do any good?
1 posted on 08/06/2004 12:24:49 PM PDT by cinnathepoet
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To: cinnathepoet

Reminds me of that squeaking sound bite that Hugh Hewitt plays from time to time which he calls "Beekman".


2 posted on 08/06/2004 12:28:32 PM PDT by BenLurkin ("A republic, if we can revive it")
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To: cinnathepoet
The fact that Theresa Heinz was lying to that journalist before she told him to "Shove it!" is the detail that matters most in that story and the detail that is being the least reported by the mainstream media. He was asking a valid question, regardless of his politics. She was lying.
3 posted on 08/06/2004 12:31:50 PM PDT by Question_Assumptions
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To: cinnathepoet
Boy, did you call that one right.

I checked Kerry and Viet Nam on Google and very few of the stories report that he bugged out on his unit while they were under fire, deserted the active Navy and then returned to the US where he committed treason. They do conveniently leave out these little details.

And speaking of Terry Kerry, not one article mentioned the tight and long standing (1997) relationship she has with Ken Lay, the guy who destroyed Enron and thousands of little guys. Not one article mentions how many personal servants she employs or have many of them are not illegal aliens.

The media sure does leave out detail!

4 posted on 08/06/2004 12:31:52 PM PDT by Tacis
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To: Question_Assumptions

That is right. They are so upset about leaving out the wrong details and have no sense of what the heart of a story should be, probably because of blind partisanship.


5 posted on 08/06/2004 12:33:24 PM PDT by cinnathepoet (Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral)
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To: Tacis

I didn't know about the Ken Lay thing. Probably because the media haven't covered it! But that's no excuse. I do have FR.


6 posted on 08/06/2004 12:34:46 PM PDT by cinnathepoet (Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral)
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To: cinnathepoet

She writes, "When I googled 'Schwarzenegger' and 'girlie girls'..."

I thought the word was "girlie-men." She's so desperate to find a Scaifegoat that she can't even remember what The Governator was getting bollocked for.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F


7 posted on 08/06/2004 12:35:09 PM PDT by Criminal Number 18F
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To: Criminal Number 18F

Good catch! It was girly men. I think I need to send Overholzer some of these Freeper comments.


8 posted on 08/06/2004 12:37:28 PM PDT by cinnathepoet (Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral)
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To: Question_Assumptions

The lying is a big deal that almost everyone ignored. Was she lying or does she have a short-term memory problem? When she made the speech, remember that long pause before she said "un-Pennsylvanian"? Maybe she had too much wine and couldn't remember what she said.

Kind of reminds me of Arafat's rant: "You must be accurately when quoting General Arafat."

The other important detail is Teresa's HYPOCRISY. She had just finished a plea for more civil discourse, then tells a reporter to "shove it".

Then she makes a speech at the convention saying that her husband is not afraid of DISSENT.
I guess that doesn't include her. Dissent? She won't even tolerate questions!


9 posted on 08/06/2004 12:48:27 PM PDT by GeorgiaYankee (Now Playing -- John Kerry: The Frenchurian Candidate!)
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To: cinnathepoet

How is what paper a reporter works for anywhere near as important as the fact the wife of a presidential candidate is going around calling people anti-American and then lying about it?


10 posted on 08/06/2004 12:53:50 PM PDT by swilhelm73 (When Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq, his son murdered 2,000 people in the Abu Gharib prison in *one* day.)
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To: swilhelm73

Exactly.


11 posted on 08/06/2004 12:55:16 PM PDT by cinnathepoet (Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral)
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To: cinnathepoet
Does this author believe that every Bush critic ought to have their employer's info printed in every article about their criticisms? It doesn't matter what the history between Heinz-Kerry and Scaiffe are, a reporter asked her a legitimate question, and she was obnoxiusly rude to him. That she did so right after calling for civility is a news story. Period.
12 posted on 08/06/2004 12:59:11 PM PDT by kevkrom (My handle is "kevkrom", and I approved this post.)
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To: cinnathepoet

Obviously the press could do a better job of slanting the news-NOT!


13 posted on 08/06/2004 1:48:05 PM PDT by Spok
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To: cinnathepoet
Feedback to Poynter Institute:

Feedback

14 posted on 08/06/2004 1:54:31 PM PDT by cinnathepoet (Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral)
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To: cinnathepoet

If these folks want to re-open "Shoveitgate", I think that' just fine...


15 posted on 08/06/2004 2:02:17 PM PDT by bondjamesbond (We live in a wonderful country where any child can grow up to be the next Ronald Reagan.)
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To: cinnathepoet

Better yet:

overholserg@missouri.edu


16 posted on 08/06/2004 2:08:31 PM PDT by jackbill
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To: cinnathepoet
Unsigned gossip is typical of the Trib, and Heinz Kerry's reaction to seeing a Trib reporter at the Democratic Convention could be related to that history. Pittsburgh City Paper managing editor Chris Potter calls the whole brouhaha "ridiculous" and cites a recent Trib investigation as a possible contributing factor in Heinz Kerry's exchange with McNickle.

Yeah, the editor of the City Paper is a real journalist. If I need to know where the Asian massages are, I'll give you a call.

SD

17 posted on 08/06/2004 2:21:49 PM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: cinnathepoet

I called and spoke to the reporter/editor. He was very civil--to me, as I was to him.

And I did see the tape. She did say un-Pennsylvanian, and un-American, which was the start of it all.


18 posted on 08/06/2004 4:00:17 PM PDT by combat_boots
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To: combat_boots

Which reporter/editor are you talking about? You mean the one who interviewed Heinz-Kerry? Not Overholzer, right?


19 posted on 08/06/2004 7:03:16 PM PDT by cinnathepoet (Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral)
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To: cinnathepoet

The former, yes. The guy who interviewed THK, asking her to explain what she meant by saying unAmerican. I thought he is courageous, taking death threats and not backing down. I think these Swift Boat guys are probably getting them, too.........while the vets/guys on the stage and the generals in the wings are getting paid or promises of appointments if Kerry is elected. From my reading, only 3 of the guys on the stage that night actually served with Kerry. The rest were just for show.


20 posted on 08/06/2004 7:44:12 PM PDT by combat_boots
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